Conversation Starter to Display Monthly Question: What Book Destroyed Your Productivity

This is part of a monthly series of conversation starters which can be made into evergreen displays that I first proposed here (with 12 examples that could last you full a year). You can expect a new conversation starter on the first week day of a new month. Use the newest one for the next month, or access the long backlist of these ideas anytime by using this link. 

Back in June, I wrote about how to use conversation starters to create evergreen displays (see link above), and in that post I promised to give you one conversation starter a month at the start of each month. I also make it clear in that post that these displays can be small. 3-5 books that you keep rotating. You can even use this link to make it into a scavenger hunt of small displays all over the library.

I was on vacation for the beginning of this month, so this a few days late but I absolutely LOVE this question and I found it through LJ's Book Pulse with a link to this article in Parade: What book destroyed your productively?

This is a question that people will love to answer because it is slightly askew from asking about a book they love. This is a book that you get so lost in that you ignore everything else to read it. It asks readers to engage with titles that engaged directly with them. When you ask this question, your patrons will do a slight double take. They will really listen to the questions. And, as a result, you will get some awesome, unexpected, and varied answers.

For example, I had so many answers to this question once I took a moment to think about it. Here are a few:

• The Thursday Murder Club books-- all of them. I literally go on extra walks and do more chores when I have one queued up
• Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
• Dr No by Percival Everett
• I Was a Teenaged Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
• Mazywood by Tananarive Due
• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
• Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram (and thank goodness it was short)

I also know that asking "What book destroyed your productively?" right after Labor Day is the perfect time. Many people spent yesterday thinking about paid labor while enjoying a paid day off from it. Asking about productivity right after Labor Day means people are primed to answer this question.

This is a question that everyone who is a reader can answer quickly once they stop and think about it; much more quickly than when you ask people to share a favorite book or the last goo book they read. This is a question that has an immediate and visceral response. It is also a question that changes. I you ask someone this question today, you wil get a few titles, but then ask them 6 months later and you will have a few more.

This makes the question-- and the answers-- evergreen by default. It is also a question that is not tied to any one section of the library-- any genre, format, fiction or nonfiction, kids books, adult books, it is all game with this open ended question.

Start by asking staff this question-- at the very least. Do it through an electronic form so that the answers get filed into a spreadsheet. And then do some searching.

If you use "What book destroyed your productively?" as a search in your resources, you will 100% get books about increasing productivity, which is NOT what you want. But if you search for books people wil get lost in, like at this link, That link will allow you to get the display up immediately, while you wait for staff to reply. 

The title of this display you make is the question itself: What book destroyed your productively?

Why? Because this is interactive. Your display is a conversation. It will draw patrons toward it, their interest piqued. You are asking them a question and presenting some answers, but they will have their own and they will want to tell you!!!

Now, you can follow my more elaborate suggestion on how to ask every patron to help answer this question and add titles to your spreadsheet of options, OR you can start smaller. Put up a white board or bulletin board near the display and allow people to add titles. You can pull them as needed or just leave them there, answers to your question, a way to SHOW your community that you care about their answers. You should be adding these to the spreadsheet overtime as well.

That spreadsheet is key here because it is a way for the library to KNOW what books matter to their patrons. Circulation statistics just show us what checks out. It doesn't tell us if they were enjoyed, let alone a book so treasured the patron recommends it to everyone they know. Asking this question makes an excellent, interactive, and, quite frankly, easy display, BUT it also gives us valuable collection development data.

First, if the books people are recommending to answer this question and their circ stats are not great, this lets us know that the book should stay in our collection. It alerts us that it is a patron fav and we now know to get it on display where another reader will almost certainly give it a try (with a title of a display like that, it is sure to circ now)

Second, this conversation starter allows us to see what books matter to our readers and we can pass that information on to those who buy the books for our collections so that they can look for similar titles. As someone who bought for the fiction collection, I would have loved to have this information. I knew my key patrons and bought books I knew they would like, but this question would have reach more people. Many who never stop to talk to use will answer. You will get a much wider view of the books your readers love and crave. That data is collection development gold!

You can search out readalikes that you have, and add more. All of that will lead to small displays, ones you can title, "So this book destroyed your productivity.....Now try this." Those can be online and in small spaces. 

You are asking a question, getting responses to fill a display, gathering valuable collection development data, and then creating more displays. All by asking one question: What book destroyed your productively?

You have nothing to lose here. You and your patrons win the second you ask the question.

Back next month with anther question, but as always, use the link at the top of this post for many more questions you can use today, tomorrow, or in a few months. Just start asking your patrons questions so you can see what really sticks with them. Your displays will be easier to build, more inviting, and you will have a better sense of what other titles need to be added to your collections.

Liberating Lit Podcast from Kelly Jensen: Inspiring and Rekindling Literary Advocacy

I am back from a wonderful vacation in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, and easing in to the week back with this exciting announcement from Kelly Jensen. There is a busy week here on RA for All as I have a trip to Springfield, MO for an event with Paul Tremblay, but the blog will not stop. I have a lot to catch up on after the week off. 

But first, this press release about Liberating Lit is literally hot off the presses at 9am Eastern today. Please read, subscribe, and get ready to help us all fight the ongoing book censorship happening everywhere.

The Liberating Lit Podcast Aims to Inspire, Rekindle Literary Advocacy Amid Continued and Ongoing Book Censorship

Award-winning author, editor, and anti-censorship champion Kelly Jensen has launched a new limited-run podcast spotlighting the work of literary advocates. Liberating Lit begins its weekly cadence on Tuesday, September 8, introducing listeners to an advocate in each episode whose work has had an impact. Advocates range from national leaders in intellectual freedom, as well as local-level advocates making an impact in their communities as library trustees, teen documentarians, and more. 

Liberating Lit emerged from the Unite to Read Project, inspired by Jensen’s own experiences in community and coalition building around the right to read. 

“Literary advocacy, especially in this moment, is hard work. Finding people who challenge you and inspire you is key to both getting started and continuing forward when things get touch,” said Jensen. “The idea for a podcast that introduces or expands someone’s community felt not only welcomed, but necessary, as we prepare to enter our sixth year of coordinated attacks on intellectual freedom.”

The podcast will run for two seasons. The first lands this fall, with the second season launching in early 2027. Each season features 10 guests, each sharing what sparked their passion for advocacy, how they keep their cups filled, and advice for both those who are looking to get involved in literary advocacy and those who need to find their spark again. 

Among the first season’s lineup are Dr. Emily Knox, Dustin Pace (Nontoxic Masculinity), Amanda Jones, and Marley Dias. Other guests include an array of familiar names, as well as voices that will be new to those tuning in. 

“I hope Liberating Lit is the kind of podcast that people listen to and find themselves fired up and challenged by,” Jensen said. “The more people realize how much of an impact they can make in advocating for diverse literature and in speaking up about what we lose as books are removed from school and public library shelves, the better off we’ll all be. This has been a long decade, full of unrelenting book censorship and attacks on our public institutions of democracy. By centering the stories and insights of people who’ve been doing this work–whether for months or for decades–it’s my hope that others will realize how much they can do to impact change, too.”

The independently produced, advertisement free show is available wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Show notes, transcripts, and other information for each episode will live at the Liberating Lit website, liberatinglit.com. 

Jensen’s podcast is a natural progression of her own advocacy work. She’s been a leader on the topic of book censorship for well over a decade, both at Book Riot and in her own work through STACKED, Well Sourced, and other outlets. She’s twice earned Commendation from the American Association of School Librarians, as well as been named a Person of the Year by Publishers Weekly and a Chicagoan of the Year by the Chicago Tribune. In 2015, she was named one of the 15 in 15 by the National Coalition Against Censorship for her collaboration with a South Carolina librarian to provide teens with their own copies of a locally-banned title.  

“My work for the Literary Activism newsletter at Book Riot and my own newsletter, Well Sourced, is ultimately about developing an archive of our current censorship moment,” said Jensen. “I see Liberating Lit as a way to document and share the voices and perspectives of the people who are making a tremendous impact right now in the literary world when it comes to protecting the right to read.”

Since 2021, Jensen has given numerous talks and workshops about book censorship to libraries, state library associations, high school writer conferences, and more. She was one of three Americans invited to speak on the topic in Muenster, Germany, at the Kinship in American Studies 2026 Conference. Prior to her work as an editor at Book Riot, she worked in several public libraries in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. She earned her master’s in information studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. 

“Every recording was an opportunity for me to learn more and for me to think about how I can be a better and more effective champion for literature. I think listeners will be as surprised and delighted as I was with the depth of insight, the encouraging stories, and even the challenges faced by those doing the work of literary liberation,” she added. 

Contact: Kelly Jensen

kellybjensen@gmail.com 

liberatinglit.com 

RA for All Off Until 9/8 But I Am Leaving You With a Project

I am taking time off from blogging for vacation through Labor Day. I will be back on Tuesday 9/8. While I am gone, you should browse the archives. I have 19 years of posts, information, and rants for you to peruse. Everything is tagged and easy to access. Have some fun.

But that is not all. While I am gone, I would love you to explore the work author Debbie Ridpath Ohi is doing to help amplify the work we do getting good reads into patrons' hands. She has started a blog entitled, How Readers Find Books. This is a place for all books for all levels of readers.

I have invited Debbie Ridpath Ohi to explain the initiative to all of you directly. Consider giving it a try. Details below.

I'll see you all back here on 9/8, after the Labor Day Holiday.

Calling all librarians!

Hello! I'm Debbie Ridpath Ohi, children's book author and illustrator of Where Are My Books? and I Want To Read ALL The Books, among others. I'm currently working on a spooky middle grade novel involving Japanese yokai.

But I am coming to you today for my newest venture. I have launched a new book blog called How Readers Find Books.

Goals of this book blog include:

1) Help show readers find new ways to discover books to read.

2) Help boost the book boosters, like librarians and book bloggers.

3) Boost books.

I am actively seeking librarians and other book boosters to contribute one guest post that consists of:

• A book cover image of a book you enjoyed reading and that isn't your own.

• Book info (title, author, illustrator, cover designer, publisher, link to publisher book page, etc). 

• A paragraph about why you liked the book.

• A paragraph about how you discovered the book. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE POST. Hoping your paragraph isn't just "I saw the title in the NY Times bestseller list" or "a friend of mine wrote it" but includes info that helps others re: book discovery.

• A paragraph about yourself (and I encourage you to include a link to your own book blog, etc). Please don't make this paragraph longer than your "how I discovered the book" paragraph.

I will set up a template post for you -- all you have to do is type in the content. 

I am looking for books for all level of readers.

At present, however, I'm only seeking contributors who have an Atmosphere account like Bluesky or Pckt. Main reason for this request is because I lack the time for a regular blog these days, and using Leaflet as my main blogging platform makes it much easier. You can see my other Atmosphere blogs at https://debbieohi.com/links/.

I have provided direct access to example posts for this project:

As We Fall Through Time, discovered by librarian Peter Musser.

This Could All Go Bad (https://books.leaflet.pub/3msjg2idyp22n), discovered by educator and book blogger, Ms. Yingling.

If you’re interested, you can find more details as well as how to contact me here.

Thank you to Becky and RA For All for the opportunity to connect with all of you directly.

Dolly's Patron's Imagination Library at Your Library

As we all know, Dolly Parton died. She was an amazing human in so many ways. I am legitimately sad that we lost her. And she died around the corner (literally) from where my son was sitting in his Vanderbilt dorm room. Steps from where I was standing on Monday morning as I was saying goodbye after move-in (when she was behind those walls). It gave me chills. 

There is so much to say but, for this blog I want to focus on her work with books, literacy, and libraries.

Before we get there though, I know you are all getting those displays up to honor her-- in every department-- so, I wanted to remind you how to make those displays stretch past the next few days and the limited explicitly "Dolly" books.

You should pull other books about the history of country music, Eastern TN, the Smokey Mountains (yes even guide books) and the memories and biographies of other popular musicians (living and dead) and not just country. 

It is not only that people are going to want to read about Dolly and Dolly adjacent things. It is more than that. When someone this ubiquitously popular dies, people who wouldn't normally visit the library come in to see what we have about that person. They know the library is the place to go for information. Make sure you are ready to receive new (to you) patrons by having up displays that anticipate their needs. Maybe the Dolly books are out, but they will be perusing what else you have and showcasing the breadth of your offerings in a variety of Dolly adjacent displays will showcase the breadth of your holdings and how you are there to help them anytime they visit. 

I have seen this happen in real time. Someone comes in for info or a book tied to a current event and they leave with something else (as well) because they forgot how much we have to offer. And if only a small percentage of these people come back, you have added new library users and supporters to your community.

Okay obligatory RA Service statement -- done. The other thing people re going to ask about is Dolly Patron's Imagination Library. While it began as a way to mail books to kids, it has expanded by working directly through local public libraries. This part of the program is less well known, even by librarians.

Since people are extremely interested in learning more (I cannot even get the page to find a program near you to load the traffic is so heavy) and chances are very high that your library is not an official partner, you are going to need to have information ready for your staff to talk to patrons. Some may even be asking you to join. 

But don't worry, Becky is here to help you. My friend is the Director of the Linden Free Public Library. The only partner with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in the state of NJ is the Friends of Linden Library who fully fund and administer the program with donations from the public.

The ABC7 NY affiliate came to their library yesterday to report on the program. Click here to watch the video and read the written story here. The President of the Friends does an excellent job explaining the program for a general audience. However, you may have questions of a more specific nature.

If you have questions for this library and their Friends about how they became a location for Dolly's Imagination Library, email them at friends [at] lindenpl [dot] org. Or, reach out to them via their Facebook page here. They understand the entire process and can help you reach out and join team Dolly at your library.

Trending: Weird Girl Fiction with an Assist from Passively Recommending Books

Earlier this week I was in a meeting and we were sharing our love of Chlorine by Jade Song. Someone mentioned she had a collection of stories coming early next year, so after the meeting I immediately headed on over to Edelweiss excited to learn more. There I found this description for Ox Ghost Snake Demon: Stories--

From Jade Song, the master of weird girl lit, comes a provocative and surreal collection of twelve short stories, each inspired by a Chinese zodiac animal.

In this stunning collection, Jade Song masterfully blends realism with the surreal, crafting tales that explore identity, belonging, and the complexities of relationships. From a tattoo artist who reveals a hidden world of dragons (Dragon) to a suburban wife who transforms her neighborhood into a woodland sanctuary (Horse); from a girl who devours those who hurt her (Pig) to two young men whose love transcends time (Rabbit), these stories are as imaginative as they are unforgettable.

With their signature sharp and evocative voice, Song delves into themes of cultural expectations, queer identity, and the burden of history, offering a bold and unflinching perspective on contemporary life. Each story is a journey—sometimes darkly humorous, often melancholic, and always thought-provoking.

The highlight is mine. Weird Girl Lit is a new thing, newer than Song's first or second books, and yet, she is being market as a master of it. Now some of that sentence is facetious. I understand that trends pop up and then authors who write that way and or are singled out by the online book people who create these trends, get grouped together under the trend.

But, it is when the traditional publishing world begins to embrace a trend that we really need to pay attention to it. Also a trend like this is one of my favorites because it is not bound by genre in any way. 

After last week's post about larger trends of all of the Fall titles, I was going to write a longer post about the smaller but definitely catching fire Weird Girl Lit trend, but my colleague Lila Denning already did on her blog Passively Recommending Books. You can find that post and its links and resources below. 

You should be able to get together a nice display, online lists, social media engagement, and Libby reading lists all from her post. You could do all of this in less than a day. The result, you look like you are on the cusp of the biggest trend. And this is trend that spans age ranges from teens to adults to seniors. 

Give it a try. And remember, this is an example of how to use resources to not only stay on top of trends, but get access to easy ways to highlight them for your patrons quickly and easily.

Unshelve Your Weird Girl Fiction 

According to BookRiot, there is a new book trend which has developed on TikTok - Weird Girl Fiction. They describe it as: 

In fact, there’s a new one that has recently emerged on TikTok, no less: weird girl fiction, or weird girl lit. Weird girl fiction is commonly defined as books that elicit “unhinged female rage” and “transgress social norms.” 

 

While the terms can be problematic, these novels exhibit an unconventional, unhinged, or dark tone. In My Year of Rest and Relaxation, isolation and self-destruction are the central themes. 

 There are some books listed in their article but I will include some more below. Because it crosses and blends genres, it also is part of the greater trend of genre blending. 

Reddit has a entire subreddit about it - https://www.reddit.com/r/weirdgirlliterature/ The image at the top of the subreddit can give you inspiration for your signage. 

Here are some other lists to help get you started: 

Daniel Boone Regional Library: Weird Girl Fiction

The Spinoff: What is ‘weird girl lit’ – and why is it trending right now?

Instagram: The Definitive Weird Girl Lit Reading Guide

Henrico County Public Library: Weird Girl Fiction 

Crime Reads: Weird Girl Lit Galore: 10 Novels

Denver Public Library : Weird Girl Fiction

Goodreads: Weird Woman Fiction

Library Trends Rethinking Readers’ Advisory For Today’s Reading Reality Updates and a Bonus Article

Over a year ago, Robin Bradford and I made an announcement that we would be guest editing an issue of the academic journal Library Trends here. 

The issue is entitled, Rethinking Readers’ Advisory For Today’s Reading Reality and it will be published later this Fall on this page. (Currently the May 2026 issue is there)

It will be open source and available online for all for free. Soon, we will have the table of contents announcement. However, there were a few articles we could don't fit into the issue and one in particular that Robin and I want dot make sure more people were able to read.

 So today I would like to invite you to click here to read:

Are you a “ravenous reader”? Join the team! (Or build one from scratch)
by Karen Greene and Jessica P. Pryde

Abstract: Pima County Public Library is committed to providing readers’ advisory services everywhere, to everyone. We do this in a variety of ways—in person, in the library, virtually, on our website, out in the community, on a bike.  Everywhere. While all desk staff are educated in and encouraged to engage in readers’ advisory with their customers, there is a dedicated group of enthusiasts who work towards making readers advisory a priority. The mighty Ravenous Readers team takes this responsibility seriously and knows how to have fun with it!   

This article will detail the establishment and evolution of PCPL’s Ravenous Readers team, including the work that individual members of the team have taken back to their branches or other affinity teams. It will also include steps on how to reproduce it at a scalable level at other library systems, including public, private, university, and others.  

This article is free for you to read right now here. Please note, this is a 6,400 word article, but it is worth your time. And I want to give a huge thank you to Karen Greene and Jessica P. Pryde for allowing us to share this with all of you. 

I also wanted to use this blog post to share some addition information about the authors and the Pima County Public Library.

First their author bios:

Author bios:

Karen Greene is the Librarian on the Move with the Pima County Public Library system and has been a member of the Ravenous Readers Team since the very first meeting.  She has been an adult services librarian since 2004, and prior to that was a middle school librarian for eleven years.  She was named a Library Journal Mover and Shaker in 2016. She will talk about books with anyone and everyone. 

Jessica P. Pryde is a Professional Book Person in Southern Arizona. A Librarian by education and trade, she spent over ten years as a librarian at Pima County Public Library before moving on to explore opportunities in a different side of the bookish world. 

Second, one of the things we were having trouble with in sharing all of their good work through the academic journal process is that it is not easy to showcase work on their website in the journal format. But, here on the blog we can do that. Here is the library webpage:  https://www.library.pima.gov/ and the link for PRRRs (Personalized Reading Recommendations): https://www.library.pima.gov/prr/

Don't miss out on your chance to become a ravenous reader. Click here to read the article.

And moving into the next few months, stay tuned for information on the table of contents and your chance to attend free webinars to learn more about the issue and the articles, straight from Robin, me, and our authors.

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT-- Lividian Publications Announces

I am happy to report that starting right this minute (10am Eastern, August 21, 2026), 11 months after the release of Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature edited by me, the Lividian Publications GORGEOUS special edition is now available for purchase/preorder on their site.

From the publisher's announcement:

Lividian Publications is proud to be publishing a deluxe signed and slipcased Limited Edition 

hardcover of Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature edited by Becky Siegel Spratford, the most recent Bram Stoker Award winner for Superior Achievement in Long Non-Fiction.

We don’t publish nonfiction often, but this is exactly the kind of special project that deserves a Limited Edition. Becky Siegel Spratford gathered an incredible group for this insightful look into why horror matters: Grady Hendrix, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Tananarive Due, Victor LaValle, Alma Katsu, Rachel Harrison, Gabino Iglesias, Brian Keene, John Langan, and so many other terrific writers.

This special edition includes exclusive full-color wrap-around dust jacket artwork by François Vaillancourt, along with our signature slipcase design with the custom die-cut window, making this production a true work of art.

Retail Price: $125

Publication Date: December 2026

Page Count: 248 pages

Status: Forthcoming

Deluxe Production Features:

• Full-color wrap-around artwork by François Vaillancourt

• Offset printed on an acid-free archival quality paper stock

• A fine cloth binding

• Hot foil stamping on the front cover and spine

• Smyth-sewn to create a more durable binding

• Twine head and tail bands

• High-quality endpapers

• Sewn-in satin ribbon page marker

• Custom-made slipcase stamped with hot foil and featuring a unique die-cut window

• Limited to 600 copies signed by Becky Siegel Spratford and François Vaillancourt

About the Book:

For twenty-five years, Becky Siegel Spratford has worked as a librarian in Reader Advisory, 

training library workers all over the world on how to engage their patrons and readers, and to use  her place as a horror expert and critic to get the word out to others; to bring even more readers into the horror fold.

Why I Love Horror is a love letter to the horror genre from many of the most influential and 

bestselling authors in the industry. A captivating anthology and heartfelt tribute to the horror 

genre featuring essays from several of the most celebrated contemporary horror writers 

including, Grady Hendrix, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, Victor 

LaValle, Tananarive Due, and Rachel Harrison.

For devoted horror readers, Why I Love Horror is a celebration of the books, fears, monsters, and  midnight obsessions that shaped them. For the horror-curious, this very special edition is an open door into the genre’s bloody, beating heart, guided by the writers who know exactly why we keep coming back to the dark.

Table of Contents:

"Introduction" by Sadie Hartmann

"Why Ask Why" by Becky Siegel Spratford

"Brian Keene’s Giant-Size Man-Thing" by Brian Keene

"The Giant Footprint of Horror" by Hailey Piper

"In the Bermuda Triangle with Sasquatch, Flesh Smoldering" by John Langan

"What You Can Learn from Horror: Don’t Run from Darkness; It’s Trying to Teach You a 

Lesson" by Alma Katsu

"Horror Is Life: A Blood-Soaked Love Letter" by Gabino Iglesias

"My Long Road to Horror" by Tananarive Due

"Monster Girl: How Horror Gave Me a Place to Belong" by Jennifer McMahon

"On the Amtrak, Heading Home" by Josh Malerman

"Why Horror?" by Paul Tremblay (Drawings by Emma Tremblay)

"Why I Love Horror" by Grady Hendrix

"My Mother Was Margaret White" by Cynthia Pelayo

"Why I Am Horror" by Clay McLeod Chapman

"A Day in My Psychedelic World" by Nuzo Onoh

"Permission to Scream" by Rachel Harrison

"Horror Saved My Life" by Victor LaValle

"Tales from My Crypt" by Mary SanGiovanni

"Of Men and Monsters" by David Demchuk

"Why Horror" by Stephen Graham Jones

About the Authors

Acknowledgments

I have known about this special edition since before Why I Love Horror was released by Saga Press and that is thanks to my agent Lane Heymont who made this opportunity happen and Joe Monti and Saga who agreed to license the content to them.

This book is gorgeous and I am so proud to have a special edition of anything I have written available.

Please see the Lividian Publications site for details on how one of these 600 books could be yours!

Photos provided by the publisher below.